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Listen Tuesdays at 6:45 and 8:45 a.m. on 90.5 WKAR-FMAccording to the Kids Count report of April 2018, 56% of third graders in Michigan are not proficient in English Language Arts. At the same time, some new public school teachers in Michigan are leaving the classroom because they do not earn enough money for a decent living. Virtual and charter schools are on the rise in Michigan. And in some communities there are breakthroughs in raising better readers.Covering education in Michigan is complex, but WKAR is committed to reporting on the problems, searching for solutions, and holding leaders accountable.Listen for Making The Grade in Michigan with WKAR education reporter Kevin Lavery every Tuesday at 6:45 and 8:45 a.m. on 90.5 WKAR-FM's Morning Edition.

Report Estimates Third-Grade Retention Under Literacy Law

yellow school bus
flickr/Those Guys 119

New research from Michigan State University finds between 2% and 5% of third-graders would be held back if the state's early literacy law was in effect.

The report written by the East Lansing school's Education Policy Innovation Collaborative , or EPIC, also estimates between 7% and 11% of black third-graders would be similarly retained if the 2016 law were in place. It goes into full effect in the upcoming school year.

The overall number represents between 2,000 and 2,500 students.

EPIC Co-director Katharine Strunk says the report's aim is to identify and help struggling students before such actions are necessary. She adds the estimates line up with evidence of inequities in early literacy proficiency.

Strunk is part of the Michigan Education Research Institute, which is studying the law's rollout and effect.

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